Envelope



L. BARKER May 23, 1944.

ENVELOPE Filed Nov. 20, 1943 IN VEN TOR. L :5 Brae/nee A TTORNEY Patented May 23, 1944 UNITED STATE S PATEN T OF Fl C E ENVELOPE Lee Barker, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application November 20, 1943, Serial No. 511,065

4 Claims.

The present invention relates-generally to mailing envelopes and has for its primary object the provision of certain improvements whereby the envelope, after sealing, may be easily and quickly opened to expose an entire end thereof for the convenient withdrawal of its contents without danger of mutilation of such contents as very frequently happens Where an envelope is opened with a blade or an end thereof is sheared off.

A further object of the invention is the provision of improvements of the above character which lend themselves readily to use of the envelope in either a sealed first class mailing condition, or an unsealed or second class mailing condition.

The foregoing general objects, as well as further and more specific bjects, along with the features of construction, functions and advantages of the invention, will be better understood and more thoroughly appreciated in the course of the following description in detail thereof, and by reference to the accompanying drawing, illustrating the invention and forming a part of this specification.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the envelope blank, as initially cut.

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the completed blank, with one end flap and the inner reinforcing rip guide of the other end fiap infolded respectively on the body and the latter end flap.

Figure 3 is a similar view with the envelope complete ready for the reception of mailing matter andfor .final sealing of its upper closure flap.

Figure 4 is another similar view showing the envelope in final sealed condition for transmission by first class mail.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view therethrough taken substantially on line 55 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view taken 'therethrough substantially on line fi-6 of Figure 4, and,

Figure 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal section, illustrating adaptation of the invention to use as second class mailing matter.

Referring now to the drawing and particularly to the blank as shown in Figure 1, it will be noted that it is formed with a generally rectangular body or central portion II) which, in the finished envelope, forms the usual unbroken front Wall thereof. This body portion It is bordered by top and bottom flaps I I and I2, and side fiaps I3 and I4. All of these flaps are subsequently infolded across the rear of the body It along the broken lines I5, the initial infolding of the side flaps I3 and I4 into sealed overlapping relation and the infolding of the bottom fiap I2 into sealed relation overlapping the lower portions of the side flaps, constituting the rear wall of the envelope to thus leave the material receiving space or pocket open at its top until final folding andsealing of the upper closure flap I I.

As also seen in Figure 1, the side flap I4 is scored, perforated .or otherwise weakened along angular lines I6 extending from the top and bottom portions of its inner edge adjacent to its folding line I5 at the respective side of the body It, and converging to and merging into short parallel, similarly weakened lines I! adjacent to, and extending through, its outer free edge, to thus form a displaceable tongue or section I8 which has a .narrow tab I8 at one end and substantially the full vertical dimension of the body 'III, at its other end. The section I8, thus formed, is to be reenforced by an extra layer or strip I9 which is of the same shape of, though slightly less in width, than said section so as to be fixed to underlie the latter with the side edges thereof bordering the weakened lines I6 and I! along the inner sides of said lines.

Thus, the reeniorcing strip I9 may be a separate part, or as seen in Figure 1, it may be initially formed as an outstanding extension of the side flap I4, to be folded onto the latter so as to underly the displaceable section 'or tongue I8 and its tap I8 In any event the respective surface of tongue I8 is gummed as seen in Figure 1 so that the reenforcing strip It may be secured flatwise thereon, in the above described relation.

In the formation of the envelope, the side flap I3 is initially infolded partially across the rear face of the body III, as in Figure 2, and its rear face provided with gummed areas 20 adjacent to its inner free edge and vertically spaced to leave between them a plain surface underlying the free end of the tab I8 of tongue I8 and its reenforcing strip I9, when the side flap I4 is next infolded to partially overlap 'side flap I3. Thus the gummed areas 20 provide for sealed connection of the upper and lower overlapping portions of flaps I3 and I4, but leave the displaceable tongue I8 free to be ripped out of flap I4 so as to fully open the respective side of the envelope.

The lower flap I2 is then folded to overlie the lower portions of the folded and connected side flaps I3 and I4, as in Figure 3 thus completing the envelope except for the folding and the upper and lower flaps II and I2, and the.

weakened lines l6 and H defining between them said tongue l8 and tab I8 are positioned in-' wardly of and along the angular edges 22 of the upper and lower fiaps, and outwardly of, and

along, the side edges of the inner reinforcing strip l9.

In opening the envelope it is easy to insert the finger nail or any suitable implement beneath the free end of tab l3 and raise the same to start rupture along the weakened lines It and H. When once started, continued pull of the'tongue l8 serves to continue the rupture and displacement thereof to the respective side of the envelope so as to completely open the latter at one side for removal of its contents without danger of mutilation of the latter, since this rupture takes place between, and has for its guidance, the bordering angular edges of the reenforcing strip l9, at the inner face of the tongue, and the bordering edges 22 of the upper and lower flaps H and I2, at the outer face of the tongue. This relation of the parts is plainly indicated in Figures 5 and 6, especially the latter, and it is obvious that in so opening the envelopefor the removal of its contents, slitting by means of opening blades is eliminated and cutting or tearing of portions of the envelope ina manner placing the contents in danger of similar cutting and tearing, is also unnecesary; i.

Themanner in which it is thus provided that the initially sealed envelope may be readily and effectively opened, lends itself to use in connec- 'tion with second class mailable matter, since after sealing of the envelope, the tongue I8 may be pulled free along its perforated or otherwise weakened rupture lines and then replaced with the free end of its tab I8 extended beneath the central portion of the free edge of the underlying side flap I3, as in Figure 7so that said tongue-will thereafter be held in place merely by friction as an inspection flap.

1 Having thus fully disclosedthe invention, what is claimed is:;

1. An envelope comprising a front, a back including a pair of oppositely extending fiaps secured in partially overlapping relation, and a second pair of oppositely extending flaps, one thereof forming a closure flap, which are spaced apart when connected to partially overlap said firstfiaps, one of said first pair of flaps having weakened lines defining between them a tongue having its inner end freely overlying the other flap of said pair, the second flaps having opposing edge portions bordering said tongue along, and outwardly of, said weakened lines.

2. An envelope comprising a front, a back including a pair of oppositely extending flaps secured in partially overlapping relation, and a second pair of oppositely extending flaps, one thereof forming a closure flap, which are spaced apart when connected to partially overlap said first flaps, one of said first pair of flaps having weakened lines defining between them a tongue having its inner end freely overlying the other flap of said pair, the second flaps having opposing edge portions bordering said tongue along, and outwardly of, said weakened lines, and a reenforcing strip secured to said tongue upon its inner face and bordering said tongu along, and inwardly of, said weakened lines.

3. An envelope comprising a front, a back consisting of a series of cooperating flaps extending from, and along, sides of said front, including a pair of oppositely extending and partially overlapping flaps secured to one another at spaced points and free of one another between said points, and a second pair of oppositely extending flaps, one of which constitutes a closure flap, for partially overlapping and connection to said first named flaps, one of said first named flaps having weakened lines defining therebetween a rip tongue whose outer end extends along one full side of the front and whose inner end forms a tab lying between the spaced connected portions of said first named flaps, the second named flaps, when so connected presenting spaced inner edges bordering said rip tongue and its tab and extending continuously along, and outwardly of, the said weakened lines of the tongue-carrying flap.

4. An envelope comprising a front, a back consisting of a series of cooperating flaps extending from, and along, sides of said front, including a pair of oppositely extending and partially overlapping flaps secured to one another at spaced points and free of one another between said points, and a second pair of oppositely extending flaps, one of which constitutes a closure flap, for partial overlapping and connection to said first named flaps, one of said first named flaps having weakened lines defining therebetween a rip tongue Whose outer end extends along one full side of the front and whose inner end forms a tab lying between the spaced connected portions of said first named fiaps, the second named flaps, when so connected, presenting spaced inner edges bordering said rip tongue and its tab and extending continuously along, and outwardly of, the said weakened lines of the tongue-carrying flap, and a reenforcing strip secured to, and across, the under surface of said tongue and its tab and having edge portions extending along, and inwardly of, the said weakened lines of the tongue-carrying flap.

LEE BARKER. 

